Spice up your weekend on the Sunshine Coast

Some like it hot. They will enjoy The Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival that is returning to Spicers Tamarind Retreat on the weekend of August 2-3.

Visitors to the sprawling 18-acre property just outside Maleny will be served a spicy blend of flavours from the region’s Asian restaurants, along with live music, chilled drinks and market stalls. 

And visitors are being encouraged to make a weekend of it with Spicers Tamarind Retreat’s ‘Complete Packages’ that include either a one night/one day experience or two nights/two days.

The festival will showcase street-food style dishes from the Spirit House restaurant, as well as local favourites Rice Boi, and the Retreat’s own Tamarind Restaurant led by Sunshine Coast native and  executive chef, Daniel Jarrett.

As a flagship experience of the award-winning Curated Plate Food and Drink Festival, the Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival will work with the Curated Plate festival’s culinary director, Peter Kuruvita.

“This is not just a celebration of incredible food and drink - it is also a testament to the collaborative spirit of the Sunshine Coast’s leading Asian-inspired restaurants,” Kuruvita said. 

Chef Jarrett (below) says the Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival is about putting on a feast of local produce for a happy crowd.

 “For all of these chefs, it’s an opportunity to put a spotlight on the amazing produce we get to use every day," he said. 

"We’ll cook for more people in an afternoon than we’d usually see in a week.” 

This year The Tamarind will be serving Dan’s own recipe, barbecued half-shell scallops with roasted chilli jam, a coconut dressing and Asian herbs.

The Tamarind Oyster Bar will also make a return alongside a champagne bar and desserts crafted by locals Maleny Food Co. 

The Tamarind Oyster Bar will showcase fresh oysters with yuzu ponzu while Rice Boi from Mooloolaba is returning to the festival with dishes including black sesame prawn toast with mandarin dashi caramel, dressed with a mayo made with sesame-based goma shabu sauce.

The Spirit House in Yandina will offer Phat Wag wagyu beef sate skewers, with a rich black Indonesian sate sauce and acar pickle.

To match the food on offer, several of the Sunshine Coast’s own beverage producers will be pouring the drinks.

Return buses will run to Spicers Tamarind Retreat from Noosa, Caloundra and Mooloolaba on both Saturday and Sunday. A park-and-ride shuttle will also run between Spicers and Cooke Park in Maleny throughout both days.

The two-day / two-night package begins on Friday, August 1, with dinner at Tamarind Restaurant, breakfast on Saturday morning, tickets to the festival on Saturday, a cheese and charcuterie feasting board on Saturday night, and breakfast on the Sunday. Prices start from $2,516 for two guests. 

Full details are available here: https://spicersretreats.com/events/sunshine-coast-asian-food-festival-2025/

For festival ticket prices and all other details seet: https://thecuratedplate.com.au/page/sunshine-coast-asian-food-festival

Sunshine Coast festival returns with some Asian spice

 

So you love Asian flavours and food with some spicy kick?

The Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival returns to Spicers Tamarind Retreat on the weekend of August 2-4. 

Visitors to the property just outside Maleny will be served a spicy blend of dishes from the region’s top Asian restaurants, along with live music, chilled drinks, market stalls and masterclasses.

There will be street-food-style dishes from long-time favourite Spirit House restaurant, as well from  local favourite Rice Boi and the Retreat’s own Tamarind Restaurant, helmed by Sunshine Coast native and executive chef Dan Jarrett.

“For all of these chefs, it’s an opportunity to put a spotlight on the amazing produce we get to use every day," Jarrett says. "We’ll cook for more people in an afternoon than we’d usually see in a week.” 

Offering foodies the chance of a gourmet weekend escape, Spicers is offering special one or two-day accommodation packages and transport options.

Buses will be run to Spicers Tamarind Retreat from Noosa, Caloundra and Mooloolaba on Saturday and Sunday while park-and-ride shuttle will run between Spicers and the Cooke Park in Maleny throughout both days.

For thirsty patrons there will be craft beer from Brouhaha Brewery, cocktails from Sunshine and Sons Cocktail Bar, and Brockenchack Wines (a Sunshine Coast owned Barossa Valley winery. 

Tom Hitchcock, head chef of Spirit House in Yandina, said: “Asian cuisine has a big part of my background, and we love showcasing our local produce in Spirit House style … and it will be interesting to see what all these chefs come up with.”

He and his team will be offering Fraser Island spanner crab spring rolls. 

Jarrett and his team will showcase oysters with a Japanese-style salsa of wakame, soy and yuzu with those finger limes, along with an artisanal Sai Ua sausage originating in Chang Mai in Thailand's north.

The Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival is part of The Curated Plate culinary festival, a celebration of the region’s produce, producers and chefs, supported by Tourism and Events Queensland, the Sunshine Coast Council and Visit Sunshine Coast. 

The Official 2024 Curated Plate program offers more than 100 events across the region from July 26 to August 4. 

Tickets are available through Humantix or Spicers Tamarind Retreat Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival. 

Spice up your life at a Sunshine Coast gourmet festival

Some like it hot. 

Those who like their food spicy can head to Spicers Tamarind Retreat outside Maleny next month to sample food from some of the Sunshine Coast's top Asian restaurants. 

The Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival on Saturday, August 5, is now part of the Curated Plate 2023 event and will feature live music, chilled drinks, market stalls and masterclasses. 

Visitors will be able to sample street-food style dishes from the Spirit House restaurant, as well as local favourites Sum Yung Guys and Rice Boi, and the Retreat’s own Tamarind Restaurant. 

“For all of these chefs, it’s an opportunity to put a spotlight on the amazing produce we get to use every day, and show off our skills for more people in an afternoon than we’d usually see in a week,” says Tamarind head chef Daniel Jarrett. 

There will be craft beer from Moffat Beach Brewing Co, cocktails from Sunshine and Sons Cocktail Bar, wines from Brockenchack Wines (a locally owned Barossa Valley winery), as well as Champagne by the glass and bottle from the prestige House of Taittinger.

Return buses will be run to Spicers Tamarind Retreat from Brisbane, Noosa, Caloundra and Mooloolaba, delivering guests 15 minutes before the festival opens at 1pm, and departing at 5pm. A park-and-ride shuttle will also run between Spicers and the Maleny Historical Society throughout the day.

Tom Hitchcock, head chef of Spirit House in Yandina is a big fan of the Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival. 

“Asian cuisine has a big part of my background, and I want to showcase our local produce in Spirit House style," he says. "It will be interesting to see what all these chefs, who specialise in different Asian cuisines, come up with.”

He and his team will be offering a prawn roll made with Mooloolaba king prawn meat in barbecue-toasted Taiwanese milk buns, covered with a slaw of cabbage, kaffir lime, shallots, spring onion, Vietnamese mint and Thai basil, with a green nam jim dressing of local Green Valley finger lime, mayonnaise and chervil.

Chef Jarrett and his team will be offering Chinese-style BBQ pork ribs made with local honey: coated in a Hoi Sin and five spice-flavoured sauce (above). 

The Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival is part of The Curated Plate, a 10-day celebration of the region’s produce, producers and chefs. 

Spicers has an accommodation offer for two nights from August 4-6 and event tickets are available through Humantix or Spicers Tamarind Retreat Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival. 

See https://spicersretreats.com/sunshine-coast-asian-food-festival-2023/